Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-10-07
THE MANNER OF REDUCTION.

Hon. John g. Carlisle has contrib
uted to The Forum an article upon the
political issues before the people of
the United States. Mr.. Carlisle is a
sound and able democrat, and the ac-
ccpted leader of the democratic mem
beers of the house of representatives.
His words can therefore be taken as
fairly representing the position of the
democratic party upon questions of
public policy. Especially is this true
OF the question of tax reduction, as
he was twice chosen speaker of the
house of representatives, chiefly upon
the issue OF tariff reform VS. the con
tinuance OF high tariff taxation. Read
what MIR Carlisle saays upon this sub
iect:-
THE only debatable question is, in
what manner shall the revenue tax
alton be reduced? Upon this question
the two political parties are divided,
although there are some republicans
who are inclined to take the democratic
view and some democrats who favor
the republican policy. 1t is clear that
ii is possible to reduce the revenue
without reducing the taxation, and
equally clear that it is possible to re-
duce taxation To certain extent with
ont reducing the revenue. The rates
of taxation upon imported goods might
be made SO high that all importatiOns
would cease, and the government would
thus be prevented from collecting any
revenue whatever from that source,
but this would not diminish taxation
upon the people. On the contrary, it
would greatly increase their burdens,
but they would be compelled to pay
the whole tribute to the domestic pro-
ducer of the dutiahle goods, instead
of paving part of it to the govern
ment, as they do now.
ITO reduce both revenue and tax
alton at the same time is the problem
now presented, and the true democratic
solution is to abolish, rs far rs prac-
ticable, the taxes on the actual neces-
saries of life and on the raw material
used in their production, and to revise,
simplify and i'll proper cases reduce
the duties on the other articles en-
braced in the tariff schedules. The
prime object should be to provide a
sufficient revenue for the support of
the government at the least possible
expense and inconvenience to the peo-
pie who pay the taxes, and TO impose
the heaviest burdens upon those who
are able to indulge in the use of lux
uries rather than upon those who con-
sumo only the common necessaries of
life. The republican solution is, to re-
peal all the internal taxes upon whisky,
beer and manufactured tobacco, and
retain high rate of taxation on the
food and fuel and clothing of the
people, and on the building materials
and implements of labor"
The statement constantly made
that the democratic party, if it had the
power, would at once reduce the rates
of duty to such degree as to give
the products of foreign labor an ad-
vantage in our own markets, is as
groundless as the numerous other false
predictions with which the people Were
deluded for twenty years by republican
orators and newspapers, and yet it has
been successfully used to alarm the
laboring classes and prevent them
from opposing a system of taxation
which, while it does not increase the
amount of their wages, greatly dimin-
ishes their purchasing power. Every
well informed man knows that any
average rate of taxation upon imported
goods which would enable the govern
ment to realize the amount of revenue
it will be compelled to raise from that
source would much more than COM
pensate for the differences between
the cost OF labor here and in other
manufacturing countries